LIVES OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
The E.J. Boys Archive

Amended 14.5.11. Minor edits 17.2.2014.

1574, Private Henry COOK - 13th Light Dragoons

Birth & early life

1841 Census

Henry, aged 5, was living with 55-year-old Agricultural Labourer William Cook [father or grandfather?].

Enlistment

Enlisted on the 8th of May 1855.

No other enlistment details are shown.

Service, discharge & pension

Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 1st of August 1855.

He was shown on a nominal roll of men of the Regiment made out at the Cavalry Depot, Scutari on the 9th of November 1855 as being in Hospital there, but there is no entry in the date of arrival column.

Invalided to England on the 28th of October 1855.

Discharge & pension

Discharged on the "Reduction of the Regiment, and not likely to become an efficient soldier," from Kilmainham on the 15th of December 1856.

Served 1 year 190 days.

Conduct, "good". Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.

Medals & commemorations

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.

Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.

Life after service

1861 Census

Witley Hill, Great Witley.

Henry Cook, 25, Agricultural Labourer.

Lucy Ann Cook, 25, wife.

1871 Census

Cottage, Great Witley.

Henry Cook, 36, Gardener.

Lucy A. Cook, 36.

Three children shown: 2 sons and 1 daughter.

1881 Census

Abberley Hill, Great Witley.

Henry Cook, 44, Gardener Labourer.

Lucy Ann, 43.

Four children shown: sons Edward & George and daughters Eleanor & Caroline.

1891 Census

51, Great Witley.

Edward Cook [sic], 51, Gardener.

Lucy, 50.

Two children shown: son George and daughter Annie, and 2 grandchildren.

Death registered

The death of Lucy Ann Cook, 80, was registered in the March Quarter 1913 at Martley.

Death & burial

Death registered

The death of Henry Cook, 80, was registered in the June Quarter 1914 at Worcester.

Extract from the United Services Gazette for the 2nd of May 1914:

"The funeral took place recently, with military honours, at St. Michael's Church, Great Whitley, near Stourport, Worcestershire, of Mr. Henry Cooke, a Crimean veteran, who died suddenly at the age of 80, from heart failure. Hale and hearty until the day of his death he had served in the Crimea with the old 13th Light Dragoons - now the 13th Hussars.

After the siege of Sebastopol he saw very little active service, being in hospital practically for the remainder of the war with the fever which was so rife. He received the medal with clasp for Sebastopol and at the end of the war was invalided home.

For the rest of his life he lived in a picturesque cottage by the side of the Abbeley hills and worked for many years on Lord Dudley's estate. He was a Chelsea Pensioner [probably from being awarded a "Special Campaign Pension" in the early 1890's - RM] and was for 50 years a member of the Lord Ednam Lodge of Oddfellows.

He leaves a son and two daughters, as well as several grand-children and great-grand-children."